Meet the Behavioral Research Program Featured Grantees

Basic Biobehavioral and Psychological Sciences (BBPSB)

"My personal experience as a cancer survivor and my clinical work with cancer patients has not only stimulated my research hypotheses and passions, but also highlighted the importance of translational work."

"Growing up, my family's cultural beliefs about the mind and the body shaped how I thought about health and illness. I have always been fascinated by questions concerning the complex interrelations that exist among psychosocial, behavioral, and biological systems."

"Light isn't just for vision. Light touches every aspect of our lives and can have a profound impact on our health and well-being. My research tool is a gift that Nature gives us daily: the sunrise and the sunset."

"I think our recent work finding biological support for the subjective complaints that cancer survivors experience has been most important in persuading skeptics who doubt the validity of patient-reported psychological and behavioral complaints."

"Stress is a fascinating variable. In our very first study, we found that the relatively mild stress of academic exams could dysregulate aspects of medical students' immune response – and lonelier students were more vulnerable to that stress."

"Meeting with key stakeholders in rural Louisiana prior to implementing a BRCA1 testing study, I saw firsthand that translation of genetic discoveries into effective clinical interventions would be optimized if behavioral and social implications, along with cultural issues, were considered early in the process of scientific discovery."

Mark Laudenslager, University of Colorado - DenverPsychoneuroimmunology and Endocrinology Researcher

"My motivation and the scientific impetus toward development of interventions for caregivers came from my personal experience of caring for my mother as her primary caregiver during the last 5 years of her life."

"Two important discoveries with colleagues have helped shape my career: The realization that we could directly test relationships between biobehavioral factors and tumor growth factors; and the recognition that a recent HIV experiment utilized the in vitro model we were searching for in our cancer cell work."

"The coolest thing about the project for me was the emotional support I received as a result of this campaign. I have been humbled by the amazing generosity of my family, friends, colleagues, coworkers, and strangers."

Paula Pietromonaco, University of Massachusetts AmherstSocial Psychologist and Behavioral Scientist

"The randomized controlled trial is often viewed as the gold standard of clinical research. It's certainly the best we've got, but I think it's important to understand the extent of its potential flaws."

Health Behaviors (HBRB)

"There are so many opportunities to discover new ways to prevent and control cancer and "ah-ha" moments are daily occurrences that spring from working in the laboratory, the clinic and the community. Being open and preparing oneself to actively receive or generate those ideas is the first step; however, finding the time, energy and most of all the resources to pursue a fraction of those ideas is the key and one that requires dogged determination."

Health Communication and Informatics (HCIRB)

Ronald Epstein, University of RochesterClinician, Educator and Communication Researcher

"Through caring for patients with AIDS in the early days of the epidemic, I learned about the importance of communication, mindful presence and fearless compassion in the care of those facing an uncertain future."

"The most compelling thing I've observed is that prior knowledge engages adults of all ages in learning and eases the burden of acquiring new knowledge and skills, which has huge implications for how we promote the adoption of new, often effortful, health behaviors."

"I have an abiding commitment to promoting coping and adjustment during the transition from patient to survivor in early stage cancer, stemming from my clinical observations that this period not only represents a triumph -- but also a long-term challenge with unmet needs -- for patients and their care providers."

Andrew Perrin, University of North Carolina- Chapel HillCultural Sociologist

"I think cultural sociology has unique insights to offer in understanding how people develop beliefs about, and approaches to, their health. Working across disciplinary boundaries to discover these effects is very productive and exciting."

Dan Romer, University of PennsylvaniaPsychologist and Behavioral Scientist

"I discovered that efficacy for quitting a habit like smoking is a double-edged sword. It helps people to try to quit, but it also creates complacency by allowing smokers to think they can always do it (later)."

Process of Care (PCRB)

"During the course of our present study, we lost one of our promotoras from the Latino immigrant community to cancer. This unfortunate event has only strengthened our resolve to educate even more women about cancer prevention and screening."

David Miller, Wake Forest School of MedicinePrimary Care Physician and Health Services Researcher

"As a primary care physician and health services researcher, I am excited about the potential for new mobile technologies to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of care that we deliver."

"During my training, I had the opportunity to observe interactions in couples who were coping with the struggles of chronic illness. I saw first-hand the power of teamwork as partners worked together to overcome illness-related challenges. This inspired my dedication to the development and testing of dyadic interventions for our growing population of cancer survivors and their families to help them work together to face physical, emotional and social post-treatment concerns."

Tobacco Control (TCRB)

Irina Stepanov, University of MinnesotaAnalytical Biochemist and Cancer Researcher

"I have been very fortunate to be mentored by and collaborate with the prominent leaders in tobacco carcinogenesis research. Their example and guidance, along with my personal motivation to contribute to the prevention of suffering caused by cancer, shaped my research interests and direction."